Bell Museum continues to make progress

With the museum starting to take shape, workers are covering nearly half of the Bell’s exterior with Minnesota white pine that has been cooked in a giant kiln. The process, called thermal modification, is a chemical-free way to make wood more stable and water-resistant. Workers will finish installing the specialized wood in March, with the Bell Museum itself reopening in summer 2018.

Normally, hemicellulose — a natural sugar found in wood — will cause most of the decay and discoloration that wood stains and coatings are meant to prevent. Thermal modification works by cooking most of that sugar out, resulting in a material that resists warping, weeping and decay and remains a uniform color even as it ages. This longer-lasting, lower-maintenance material is ideal for covering exterior walls and interior floors, as well as for window frames, door frames and deck railings.